Handled
by BregoBeauty
Summary: Lisa's determined to be strong after the redeye. Jackson returns, and she's ready for him this time. Not a JxL story.
1. Prologue

**Handled**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_!

**Summary:** The red-eye's over. Jackson's in the hospital and Lisa is left alone to pull herself together. She is changed and does not know what to do with herself. But then Jackson comes back and things change.

**Prologue**

She knew that she should change her life; her routine. But she could not bring herself to do it. Why should she have to live her life in fear? She had beaten Jackson Rippner and she had no excuse to be afraid of him or of anyone else.

Jackson would want his short-lived appearance to affect her, to change her, to ultimately control her. He was gone from her life, healing in some hospital as he awaited trial for his crimes, never to return to torment her. He had broken her shell, her safety net, and released the real her that had been hidden inside ever since the rape.

She was the new and improved Lisa: defiant and unafraid. She was not going to let him rule her life. She had defied him and won, saving her father and the Keefes from his brutal plan. She fought back and now she could not stop fighting.

She had returned to her job at the Lux Atlantic, only to find that it did not suit her anymore. She no longer wanted to take, or listen to, anyone's bullshit. She promptly quit the same day, a few weeks after the red-eye.

She wondered what to do, where to go; now that her life had been irreversibly changed by the presence of one Jackson Rippner.

The cocky bastard snuck into her house one night a few months later. She had been expecting him—she had always known that he would come back. For revenge, or to finish the job, she knew not.

"Hello, Jack," she greeted him, standing up from the couch. Insomnia had become her friend, her way of dealing with the changes. She no longer fought to sleep. She instead rather enjoyed her sleepless nights. Every time that it was three am, she happily made her scrambled eggs and sat in front of a window to eat them. It was her way of taunting Jackson.

"Leese," he rasped slightly, his throat still healing from the never-forgotten pen.

"So, what brings you to my humble home?" she questioned, gesturing about the small apartment. "Come to kill me?"

"No, I came to see how you were doing. See what had changed," he smirked. He was expecting change, but not this kind of a drastic change from the Lisa that he had once followed.

"You gave me strength that I had forgotten—strength to do this," she smiled, aiming the sleek gun at Jackson's dark-haired head.

Jackson put his hands up in the air. He seemed pleasantly surprised at her show of control. He could not help but smirk at the changed woman who stood before him, a gun in her hands. Even if the gun was pointed at his head.

"Well, not such a good little girl now, are we Leese?" he teased.

"Shut up, Jack."

"Oh, I'm so hurt," he mocked, lowering his hands to pretend that he had been wounded by her words.

"Hands where I can see them," she ordered, clicking the safety off as a warning. She would not hesitate to shoot him. Hesitation had gotten her into trouble before. There was no time to think, only time to act.

Jackson snorted.

"What? You don't think I'll shoot?"

"I don't think you really want to know what I think. Remember last time?" he smirked and her face fell. Of course she remembered. How could she forgot when Jackson pushed her past her breaking point and nearly strangled her in the bathroom?

"You're right—I don't feel like listening to anymore of your lies tonight," she snapped, angry at him.

"Aw, come on, Leese. You know I don't lie."

"You don't exactly tell the truth either."

Jackson nodded. That was true. He did omit certain details and change others slightly to fit his means. But who didn't?

"I just came by to visit—I guess I'll go now," he said softly, turning around to the leave the same way he came in.

"You'll leave when I say you can leave," hissed Lisa.

Jackson smiled widely before turning back to face her. She had stepped closer to him when he had turned and now she was within his grasp. He grabbed her and fought with her for the gun.

"This isn't a way to live, Leese," he told her as they wrestled over the gun, each of them pulling the other to ground, where they continued to fight.

"How would you know? You kill people for a living, Jack!"

"Not any more. I'm retired, Leese. I retired after you beat the shit out of me. Actually, I was more or less fired."

"And they didn't kill you? What a shame," she mocked.

"Give me the gun, Leese. I don't want you to get hurt." He gently held her down to the floor, using his weight to hold her somewhat still as he tried to pry the gun from her slender fingers.

"Stopping lying, Jack. We both know that you don't give a damn about me." She flung herself at him, rolling them both over, her atop of him, holding him to the floor.

"That's not true."

"Tell it to someone who cares," she said, gritting her teeth. She would not lose to him. She was stronger then him. She had proven it before. Now why was it so damn difficult the second time around?

Lisa's finger slipped on the trigger, firing a single shot. Her green eyes and his blue eyes flew open in shock at the sudden shot. They stopped fighting over the gun. Lisa lifted her right hand, which was sticky with fresh crimson blood. She gasped and her slim body trembled.

"Oh, no, no, Leese!" he cried in horror, realizing what had happened.

"Bye…" she whispered to him, a faint smile coming across her face. She was finally going to be at peace.

Lisa Reisert's dead body lay upon Jackson. She had accidentally shot herself during the struggle. He did not have the heart to move her, or to leave. He had done this. Her death was his fault. His hands became stained with her blood, blood that would never wash away.

He smoothed her hair, controlling the curls as best he could. He hugged her cooling body close to his, wondering if by some miracle that the heat from his body would make it warm again. It never warmed.

Hours passed slowly, yet he kept to his vigil. He was not going to leave her. He did not know how long it would be before someone found them, but he did not care. He was not going to leave. He would face his punishment for killing her. His fingerprints were on the gun after all. He would lie and say he shot her. No one had to know that Lisa had shot herself, even if by pure accident.

Around ten am, the front door opened and in stepped a smiling Joe Reisert.

"Good morning, Lisa," he called as the door swung open to reveal the disastrous scene before it.

The small, usually tidy room was in shambles from their struggle. A pool of rapidly drying blood surrounded the living and the dead. Lisa's body was huddled close to Jackson. The gun had fallen on the floor beside the pair.

"You…you…" stammered Joe, stricken by the sight of his daughter's dead body in the arms of Jackson Rippner.

Jackson said nothing, preferring to stay silent. Joe came closer and lifted the bloody gun. His arm shook as he took aim at Jackson. Jackson remained silent and unmoving, his bright blue eyes open as he prepared to meet his fate.

"Why?" asked Joe, demanding answers. "Why Lisa?"

Jackson smiled and replied, rasping, "Why not?"

A single shot rang through the apartment once more, this time delivered into Jackson Rippner's skull. A fresh pool of blood mingled with the dried puddle that was Lisa's. Two dead bodies lay entwined on the wood floor.

How ironic that they would be closer in death then they ever had been in life.

**Author's Notes:**

This story just came out of nowhere! One moment I'm thinking about a strong Lisa, and the next, well the end comes out. Hey, I had to break the trend. Let me know what you think!


	2. Part One

**Handled**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _The Lovely Bones_.

**Part One**

Joe Reisert had been stunned to enter his daughter's apartment and find her lying dead on top of the one person that he had never wanted to see ever again. He had thought that he had killed Jackson Rippner, but the hit man…manager…whatever the hell he was, had survived the shot that he had fired. The shot that should have ended his miserable existence.

But Joe had received a second chance to kill Jackson. He had been a prime target, lying on the floor motionless, clinging Lisa's still body to his chest. Rather than risk shooting Lisa, Joe had fired a singe shot through his skull at point blank range. The dark-haired man had smirked before his brains splattered all over Lisa's once clean apartment. He had not attempted to cheat death. He had not fought back.

Jackson Rippner had killed his daughter—he was sure of it. And Jackson had deserved death for what he had done to Lisa. Joe had wasted no time calling the police. He was not afraid for being caught. He would be damned if he let his daughter's former captor and murderer get away.

"Mr. Reisert, sir?" questioned a young policeman, his uniform freshly pressed and his badge sparkling in the daylight.

"Yes?" Joe responded, breaking his thoughts of Jackson Rippner and the damage he had done. Now he would never be able to hurt anyone again. He had done the world a service by killing Rippner—no doubt about it.

"Did you shoot this man?"

"Yes, I surely did," smiled Joe as Jackson's body was covered with a sheet and his dead daughter removed from his side.

"Why?"

"He tormented my daughter and he killed her. So I killed him before he could hurt me too. He's a cold-blooded killer, that Jackson Rippner."

"That's his name?"

"The only one that I know of."

"Okay, we'll be in touch," said the police officer before leading Joe to the yellow crime scene tape and showing him out.

* * *

A saddened Lisa Reisert looked down at her father. He was so strong, despite what had happened. She missed him.

"Still staring down there, are we?" Jackson Rippner's teasing voice broke her concentration.

She spun around to glare at the dark-haired man lounging around in their heaven—or maybe it was purgatory because if anyone deserved hell, it was Jackson Rippner. It was his fault that she there in the first place. Had he not shot her, then she would be alive and down there with her father on earth.

"Of course," she snapped.

"You really need to get over it and move on. It's time to suck it up," he smirked at her, receiving a withering glance in return.

"So says the man who shot me!"

"It was never my intention for you to die, remember? I didn't want to fight."

"Yet you still did!"

"To protect you! I tried to stop you!" Jackson responded.

"From doing what?" Lisa demanded, her hands upon her hips.

"From hurting yourself…which of course was a waste of time," he admitted sourly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You shot yourself, Leese. I didn't kill you. You killed yourself," Jackson said softly, avoiding her eyes.

Lisa's face fell. _Liar! You're lying to me!_

"You killed me," she said, shaking her head. "You shot me when we fought."

"That's just what you want to believe. You have to let go and face the truth."

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, I'll admit that originally this was just going to be a one-shot, but after I finally got around to reading _The Lovely Bones_, I had to continue on a little. This story is not a redo of _The Lovely Bones_ in _Red Eye_ style, but rather Lisa and Jackson in their own heaven, with Lisa struggling to deal with her death and fighting with Jackson. There is going to be three short parts in addition to the prologue. The next part will be up tomorrow!


	3. Part Two

**Handled**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _The Lovely Bones_.

**Part Two**

Each day was a waiting game. The police were not yet convinced that Jackson Rippner had in fact murdered his daughter. Joe knew that Lisa had been murdered, but he had no way to prove it. There was no hard evidence to support his far-fetched theory.

Not that he cared. Jackson Rippner was dead and that was all that mattered.

_But he still killed Lisa…_

Joe's strong side was breaking down and crumbling under the pressure and stress. He needed answers about Lisa's death. He _had_ to know if Jackson had killed her, or if he had murdered a semi-innocent man.

_Wouldn't a murderer have run away instead of staying behind to be caught? Why didn't he fight back?_

* * *

Lisa stormed around their place. _I hate him!_ _Why did I end up stuck with him! Why?_

Jackson had been smug ever since he had shown up, complaining of a headache. Apparently, her father had shot him and ended his pathetic, parasitic lifestyle. Of course, he was now stuck with her for eternity. _Or so it would seem…_

But now, saying that she had killed herself? He had gone too far this time.

She would have killed him, if he had not already been dead.

"Did you have fun throwing things around?" Jackson questioned, appearing in the doorway.

In response, Lisa hurled a heavy hardcover book at his head. He ducked and the book sailed over his head, crashing down in the hallway. She growled in annoyance.

"What happened to all those stress management courses that you were taking? What, they don't work anymore in heaven?" he prodded, eager to cause her to explode.

"We're not in heaven! _You_ belong in hell, dying and rotting in an inferno!" she railed, glaring at him angrily.

"So, if we're not in heaven, pray tell where we currently are."

Lisa's green eyes narrowed at him as the smug look returned to his face. He was extremely cocky and she could not stand it. As a matter of fact, it was _him_ that she could not stand.

"Some kind of purgatory, obviously."

"Keep on dreaming," he said with a quiet chuckle at her expense.

Lisa curled her right hand into a fist. "Would you like me to wipe the look off your face?" she suggested sweetly.

"Not really."

"Then quit while you're ahead."

* * *

"Mr. Reisert?" inquired the authoritative voice on the phone. "This is Sergeant Woodward, Miami-Dade PD. I just talked with some of the CSIs who worked on your daughter's case."

"What did they find?" Joe asked hesitantly, unsure if he really wanted to know.

"Jackson Rippner did not kill your daughter. Lisa Reisert shot herself, apparently during the struggle with him. There were power burns on Mr. Rippner, but the GSR was on her hands, even though both of their fingerprints were on the gun, his were not in the position to fire."

"What does this mean?"

"Mr. Reisert, I'm afraid that means that you are being charged for the murder of Jackson Rippner."

"But he would have killed me!"

"Was it self-defense?"

"Of course it was!" insisted Joe, outraged. Jackson Rippner had killed her—he had driven her to these extremes. He was the reason that Lisa even had a gun.

* * *

Lisa gasped in shocked. "I shot myself?" she asked Jackson.

Jackson nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"How? Why?"

"I don't know, Leese. All I know was that somehow you shot yourself when we fought. I tried to help you and tried to stop the bleeding, but…"

"You tried to _save _me? After everything that's happened, you tried to save my life? Why?" she demanded answers. _He should have left me alone, then maybe he wouldn't be stuck here with me._

"I came there that day to check on you, because I felt something for you…"

"Liar! All you wanted to do was kill me!"

"Lisa, that's not true," he said softly, shaking his head slightly. "I could never kill you."

"Get away from me!" she screamed as he reached out to touch her. "I don't ever want to see you again!"

**Author's Notes:**

Only one more part to go! The next bit should be up tomorrow. There's a lot of jumping around, but that seems to work better for it in my head. Enjoy and thanks for the reviews!


	4. Part Three

**Handled**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _The Lovely Bones_.

**Part Three**

_This can't be happening. I would never kill myself—even by accident. I would have known it._

Lisa looked down at home. Her father was taking the blame for killing Jackson, because he had jumped to conclusions as she had. She should have never been waiting for him. Had she not pulled the gun out when she did, would she still be alive? Would she be sitting at home, speaking with him and enjoying life? Or would she be huddled away safely at her apartment, where she could hide away from Jackson and life?

She sighed. _When did everything become so complex?_

"Lisa?" Jackson called out, nearing her.

"Why can't you just leave me alone!"

"Leese, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about that day. I never meant for you to get hurt. I'm sorry."

_Did Jackson Rippner just apologize to me?_

"Wow," Lisa responded, her head still reeling.

"What? You don't believe it? I'm sorry, Lisa. I regret what I did. I should have known how you'd react. I should have guessed it! Are you happy now?" Jackson's voice grew louder and more agitated with each word.

"How can I be? I'm DEAD, Jackson!"

"At least you admit that much."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You can't be happy or move on until you realized why you're even here. At least you've come to the conclusion that you are dead. That's half of it."

Lisa glared openly at him. "And when did you become a freaking expert?"

"When I realized that I hate listening to your moaning, groaning, and griping every damn day. This hasn't been a picnic for me either."

"Oh gee, like I haven't noticed," Lisa snarled sarcastically. _Like I really care about you._

"Unlike you, I'd like to move on to the real heaven. And I can't do it until you let go," Jackson pointed out.

"Argh!"

Lisa stalked away angrily. _How dare he talk to me like that!_

* * *

"Good-bye, Lisa," Joe was whispering to her grave. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there."

He carefully laid a bunch of flowers by the polished headstone. _It's time to let go._

* * *

_Daddy, no. I don't want to leave._

Lisa felt a few tears escape her green eyes. She did not want to leave. She had been in the prime of her life and was not ready to except her death. At first, death had been refreshing, but now, now she just wanted to go home.

_This is home now._ _There's nowhere else to go._

"Why did I have to die? Why did I shoot myself?" she asked no one.

_I can't change what's happened. There's no use in dwelling on the past. Jackson was right—I have to let go._

"Bye, daddy," she whispered, her voice floating down upon a breeze to where Joe was walking away from her grave. "I love you. I'm sorry."

_I really did kill myself. I shot myself. It was an accident, but Jackson didn't do it. I did it._

Relief washed over her. She felt relaxed and light. All the tension and anger that she had been harboring had dissipated. She was at peace for good. And she had Jackson to thank for it.

_Thank you, Jackson for 'handling' things…_

**Author's Notes:**

That's the shortest, oddest story I think I've ever written. Hmm.


End file.
